San Diego home prices haven’t risen this slowly in years.In March, the San Diego metropolitan area’s home price increased 1.67% annually, said the S&P Case-Shiller Indices report released Tuesday. That’s the smallest increase since summer 2023 when rising mortgage rates, briefly, hit the brakes on t

Mortar is a mixture of cement, water, and sand (and sometimes lime), used as a binding agent for bricks, stones, and other masonry materials. Mortar has been used for thousands of years in construction, evolving from natural materials to today’s cement-based formulations. Its role is to bind and sea

An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a self-contained living space built on the same lot as a primary single-family home. It includes a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, making it suitable for independent living. ADUs can be detached structures, such as backyard cottages, or attached units, like

A roofing square is a standard unit used in the roofing industry to measure roof size and estimate material needs. One roofing square covers 100 square feet, or a 10-foot by 10-foot area.How to Calculate Roofing SquaresMeasure Your RoofBreak the roof into sections.Measure each section’s length and w

June in San Diego means sunshine, surf, and a packed calendar of events. The weather’s already heating up, and so is the city—with tourists flooding in, lines growing longer at your favorite taco shops, and the annual San Diego County Fair returning to bring fun (and a little freeway chaos). This mo

California homebuying hasn’t been the same since the Federal Reserve’s war on inflation began three years ago.That’s what my trusty spreadsheet found in the March homebuying report from Attom, which tracks the closed sales of existing residences and new construction, both houses and condos, dating t

Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) is a mass timber product made by gluing together layers of kiln-dried solid wood, usually spruce, pine, or fir—with each layer laid perpendicular to the one below. This cross-lamination enhances strength, stability, and load distribution in both directions.How CLT Is Mad

The Hazard Center shopping center and office complex in the center of Mission Valley is getting a new name and a retail-focused facelift with the property’s new owner seeking to refashion the neglected site into a trendier destination.Los Angeles-based BH Properties, which bought the property in Aug

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business WriterThe average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. climbed this week to its highest level since mid-February, a setback for home shoppers that threatens to slow sales further this spring homebuying season.Related Articles Mission Valley’s Hazard Center is getting a n

By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Business WriterSales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in April, as elevated mortgage rates and rising prices discouraged prospective homebuyers during what’s traditionally the busiest time of the year for the housing market.Existing home sales dropped 0.5% last

San Diego home prices were up slightly in March but at a pace new homeowners might not be thrilled with.The median home price in San Diego County was $900,000 in March, up 1.1% from the previous month, said an Attom Data Solutions report released this week. The median, a combination of all closed sa

Despite the financial stress of Golden State life, Californians are relatively good at paying bills compared with the rest of the nation.Take student loans. In the first quarter of 2025, 18% of California student loans were late.That may seem like a stunningly high rate of skipped payments, but it’s

Got plans for your three-day weekend? How about a show? From University Heights to Oceanside, there will be new theater productions popping up all over the map this Saturday, such as the playful comedy Merry Me at the Diversionary Theatre, Oceanside Theatre Company’s funny and informative Latino His

Got plans for your three-day weekend? How about a show? From University Heights to Oceanside, there will be new theater productions popping up all over the map this Saturday, such as the playful comedy Merry Me at the Diversionary Theatre, Oceanside Theatre Company’s funny and informative Latino His

It didn’t take long for Archie Thompson to notice the guy at a table near where Thompson and his trio were playing. They were doing their usual blues and jazz gig at the old Croce’s Restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown. There was an intensity about the dude—as if he were doing some kind of eva

Build it – and they will fall.We’re often told that California housing costs will dip if more residences are constructed. My trusty spreadsheet’s peek into real estate and demographic patterns, however, questions the wisdom behind construction as a significant housing-cost containment measure.You ca

Split-level and bi-level homes are often confused due to their staggered layouts, but they differ in both structure and function. The main difference lies in the number of levels and how the interior space is arranged. FeatureBi-Level HouseSplit-Level House Number of Levels23 or more Entry LocationF

For those experiencing homelessness, a career in culinary arts can potentially seem out of reach without the proper resources. Thanks to Father Joe’s Villages, a growing number of unhoused San Diegans are getting the opportunity to pursue a career in food through a new culinary program. “I spent my

Want to avoid raising an iPad kid? Get them a place to pretend. But options like backyard playhouses are often clunky, mass-produced plastic structures in garish red and yellow, an eyesore against a thoughtfully designed home. Jihyun Kang Butler saw the problem and set out to change it.With two youn

Porches and patios both create outdoor living spaces, but they serve different purposes and have distinct structural features. Whether you’re planning to build or simply want to identify what you have, here’s a quick guide to help you understand the difference between a porch and a patio. FeaturePor